Streetcar rail installation begins

Published: Thursday, March 16, 2017

Crews are installing rail and pouring concrete this week on Joe Carter Avenue in Bricktown for the MAPS 3 streetcar. Herzog Contracting Corp., in a joint venture with Stacy and Witbeck, has a $50 million contract to build the streetcar line.

Altogether, 4.9 miles of track will be laid between Bricktown and Midtown, through the central business district. Rails were welded into 354-foot sections in preparation for installation.

Once rails are installed, workers spread concrete in the newly constructed track bed. While rail was being installed on Joe Carter, pavement was being dug up on E Reno Avenue as work progressed.

Track installation is expected to be complete in about 18 months. The first of seven streetcars is expected to arrive from Pennsylvania this summer, and service is to begin in December 2018.